Bell’s palsy and Coronavirus disease 2019: two cases and literature review

Abstract

Since the first description of the new Coronavirus disease 19 (COVID 19), the number of associated manifestations described in literature have increase exponentially. The spread of virus to extrapulmonary tissues, especially to central and peripheral nervous system, concerns the physicians and suspicious of disease even in the absence of respiratory symptoms had a major impact preventing it’s spread. The authors report two cases of Bell’s palsy in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), describing the clinical manifestations, evolution and treatments. Both patients had a mild course of COVID 19, without respiratory symptoms reported and complete resolution of facial palsy. The authors postulate an association between isolated facial palsy and SARS-CoV-2 infection reviewing the reported cases in literature and the mechanism of neuroinvasion. The authors highlights the importance of suspecting SARS-CoV-2 infection when a patient presents with isolated facial palsy.

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